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Anthony Joshua Praises ‘Great’ Fighter On Undercard: “He’ll Be Victorious”

Written by Tom Eaton on 19th December 2023.

Anthony Joshua

Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring on a stacked card this week, and there is one participant on the bill who ‘AJ’ clearly has the utmost respect for, labelling him as a ‘great’ fighter.

Joshua is back for his third fight of the year, facing the notoriously tough to negate Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin, under the guidance of Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison, who will be ‘AJ’s’ fourth trainer in his last five contests.

A win this weekend should tee-up the Brit’s long-awaited showdown with Deontay Wilder, who is also on the card, provided he can defeat Joseph Parker in the co-main event.

It will also position Joshua for a shot at the IBF world title, which is expected to become vacant after Tyson Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk on February 17th.

Elsewhere on the bill, there is a number of intriguing bouts, such as Joshua’s foe Jarrell Miller, who faces Daniel Dubois, as well as Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia, and heavyweight title hopefuls Arslanbek Makhmudov, Filip Hrgovic and Frank Sanchez.

However, for Joshua, there was one name on the card that stands out, that being the WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who faces AJ’s countryman and current IBO Champion, Lyndon Arthur. In an interview with DAZN, Joshua gave props to the Russian and revealed that he expects his skills to be to much for his fellow Englishman.

“I think that’s going to be a tough fight and I think that Dmitry Bivol will be victorious. I’m not saying that Lyndon Arthur is not good enough, I just think that there is levels and Bivol is ‘great’.”

‘The Day of Reckoning’ card goes ahead on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will be available to watch live on DAZN PPV and TNT Sports Box Office.